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The other thing I swear by, and love to death, are my jute rugs. It's a wool liner with a jute top, the jute is what they used to use to back carpets. Both natural fibers. Jute is tough as nails and shavings don't stick to it. Put one on a wet horse inside out and it's just like a sweat sheet and cooler. But I don't think you can get them anymore. The two I have I bought in England in the 1980s.

I just happened on this thread and it sparked my interest -finding myself a little surprised I guess. I'm sure wool is good but but but . . I've never used wool, I have a nice striped Rambo fleece cooler and also the Dover Northwind fleece cooler and from my experience they work beautifully. They both wick moisture quickly leaving my horse warm and dry. Wool would have to prove to me their effectiveness is superior enough to warrant the extra price, the extra weight, and the extra care. So . . . . what is the ratio of improved performance of wool to its extra cost and labor? If you buy something from a tack shop for $100 plus that is.

I like the square wool coolers (hard to find; got my last one at a used tack sale for $15) over a string cooler (NOT Irish-knit). I don't care for the fitted coolers because you want a little air to circulate underneath to speed the drying process, and the square ones allow for this.

I have never had a fleece anything work as well as wool. I've also done winter camping and hiking in temperatures well below zero and wool was the way to go for socks as well as pants. We were not allowed to wear synthetics when it was that cold.

I ended up getting my horse a Rambo Newmarket cooler. My younger horse has one and I love it and it works beautifully, but it was also cheaper a year ago when I bought it!

I was at a loss for my older horse as I didn't want to spend an outrageous amount of money at his age but wanted something that would work. I was trying to stay in the 50-60 range but broke down and bought him the same cooler as my younger horse.

I will say that when we had Sandy come through my poor older gelding's sheet was not waterproof anymore (wasnt happy). Poor man was shivering from the cold so I brought him in and used my younger horses cooler, Rambo fleece, and it had my gelding warm and not shivering within minutes and dry within 20-30 minutes. I was sold.

I will say there are cheap fleeces that don't do anything, but am VERY impressed with the Rambo Newmarket coolers.

I just got one of the Rambo coolers for my horse as others at the barn have them and like them. So far so good. I have other coolers (big square ones) that I can use as well. I always throw the cooler on after our rides and then my mare and I walk and walk and walk until she is completely cool and dry.

For me it depends on the situation. When the air is cold wool and fleece have worked equally well because neither is actually wicking moisture off the horse. The moisture is turning into steam and going through the material, and then condensing on the outside. When the air isn't cold enough you don't get the steam through effect.

For my horse I find wool and fleece hold way too much heat and he starts to sweat again (but I must confess I make him adjust his internal temperature to the colder weather so he's running hot through the winter). I found this cooler last fall http://www.amazon.com/Weatherbeeta-W.../dp/B002HUNRTC (yes, I do use it when its way below freezing). I have a big square wool blend cooler, and a nice WB fleece cooler but I just can't use them.

I would think my horse would be really chilly in that cooler. I like to ensure her muscles are warm and moving while she is cooling out.

My mare has the tendency to "re-sweat" after I think she is cool. It just takes her a long longer to cool off then other horses and so we just walk for a lot longer then others would. Perhaps your guy is like my mare and just needs more time to walk/cool off then you think?

I love my wool coolers from Dover and find they are very absorbent and warming, but they do ABSORB the moisture and therefore do not dry as quickly as fleece does. Once the wool cooler starts to feel damp on top, it can actually make a sweaty horse feel clammy and chilled in cold weather.

Fleece, on the other hand, does not absorb moisture - instead wicks it away - and it is very good at retaining body heat without becoming saturated. Plus it is lighter in weight than wool.

I would think my horse would be really chilly in that cooler. I like to ensure her muscles are warm and moving while she is cooling out.

My mare has the tendency to "re-sweat" after I think she is cool. It just takes her a long longer to cool off then other horses and so we just walk for a lot longer then others would. Perhaps your guy is like my mare and just needs more time to walk/cool off then you think?

No, it's that the fleece and wool coolers hold too much heat and he gets hot enough to sweat again. I used to be able to use fleece or wool back when our winters were colder (-13 to -22F). But now temperatures are often up around 0-5F at night and it's just too warm for him to wear fleece or wool. I have some wicking saddle pads and noticed that if I left it on after untacking his saddle area would dry out fastest. I thought a cooler made out of that material would be perfect, and then I found that Weatherbeeta. And it works great for him - wicks off the moisture without holding in too much heat.

He lives outside so he's got to be cool and dry when I put him back out. The wool and fleece slow his cooling time down way too much even if he doesn't start sweating again. If he's not cool he'd sweat under the midweight turnout and that would not be good.

I thought the big pro about wool was that it retained it's warming properties even when wet...